Hekmatyar terms Mullah Mansour’s death ‘US-Iran conspiracy’

Hekmatyar has claimed the Taliban chief was targeted in US drone strike on recce of Iran’s intelligence agency. He said Iran informed the US government about Mansour’s movement and as soon as he entered Pakistan, US drone, on information of Iran’s spy agency, flew from Afghanistan and struck him near Nushki.

The Hezb-i-Islami leader said death of Mullah Akhter was an irreparable loss and Iran would have to bear its consequences.

He also said his party would very soon sign peace deal with the struggling government of President Ashraf Ghani.

Since his days as an Afghan guerrilla leader against the Soviets in the 1980s, Hekmatyar has always seemed to be negotiating his next shift of alliances.

The Hezb-i-Islami leader is once again working on a deal to reconcile with the Afghan government for the first time since the end of the country’s civil war.

Local representatives of Hezb-i-Islami are now reported to be finalizing a peace deal with the incumbent Afghan government.